- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Messages
- 6,852
Reading through some of the threads from the other new makers and thinking back on my own experiences got me thinking--what are the essential tools in your shop that you just couldn't do without? Which ones would you toss if you had to, and which ones would you keep?
For me, it's the following:
Angle grinder -- I use it with cutting discs to rough out my profiles. It's fast, and I can do reasonably precise work.
Belt grinder--The Craftsman 2x42 is head and shoulders above the 1x30 I was using before, and I've got a Pheer variable speed grinder on order. Can't wait for it.
Drill press (and drill press vice, and good quality drill bits)--I use this for so many things. I wish I'd gotten one with a bit more power, but you do what you can with the tools that you have.
Files--I only have a few, but I still need them for roughing out my plunges and keeping them even. I need more files.
Clamps. I didn't realize at first, but you can never have enough of these.
Respirator--wow, knifemaking makes a lot of dust.
Ear muffs--saves my hearing. And I can use them when I go to the range.
Leather apron--burned through so many pairs of pants before I got wise.
Gloves--I wear mechanix mpact 2's. They've saved me from mild to moderate injury on more than a few occasions.
My 5 gallon bucket that I use to cool down my work pieces. Although, I do have a weird puzzle with said bucket, in that occasionally, all of the water will vanish out of it from my closed and locked garage, overnight, without so much as a spill, or a leak, or anything that makes sense.
Sharpie to draw my designs on my steel, and ruler, for same purpose.
My mailing labels, so I can send stuff out to Darrin
Other stuff I like but would dispense with if I had to:
4x36 sander--great for profiling my handles.
Dremel--use it for finishing the edges and curves, and for texturing handles and doing some basic filework.
Bandsaw--love it, especially for leather. It's not good enough for metal though.
buffer--a very useful tool for polishing, and sharpening with paper wheels. ALMOST makes the list for tools I couldn't do without. I'm kinda on the fence about it.
digital calipers for measuring stuff.
I do use my bench grinder, but, along with my 1x30's, it rarely gets used. I use it sometimes for cleaning things up after I've cut stuff out with my angle grinder, or to help hog material when I get tired of using the belt grinder, even though it's slower. Oh well.
What do you consider essential? What do you own that you use, but could do without?
For me, it's the following:
Angle grinder -- I use it with cutting discs to rough out my profiles. It's fast, and I can do reasonably precise work.
Belt grinder--The Craftsman 2x42 is head and shoulders above the 1x30 I was using before, and I've got a Pheer variable speed grinder on order. Can't wait for it.
Drill press (and drill press vice, and good quality drill bits)--I use this for so many things. I wish I'd gotten one with a bit more power, but you do what you can with the tools that you have.
Files--I only have a few, but I still need them for roughing out my plunges and keeping them even. I need more files.
Clamps. I didn't realize at first, but you can never have enough of these.
Respirator--wow, knifemaking makes a lot of dust.
Ear muffs--saves my hearing. And I can use them when I go to the range.
Leather apron--burned through so many pairs of pants before I got wise.
Gloves--I wear mechanix mpact 2's. They've saved me from mild to moderate injury on more than a few occasions.
My 5 gallon bucket that I use to cool down my work pieces. Although, I do have a weird puzzle with said bucket, in that occasionally, all of the water will vanish out of it from my closed and locked garage, overnight, without so much as a spill, or a leak, or anything that makes sense.
Sharpie to draw my designs on my steel, and ruler, for same purpose.
My mailing labels, so I can send stuff out to Darrin
Other stuff I like but would dispense with if I had to:
4x36 sander--great for profiling my handles.
Dremel--use it for finishing the edges and curves, and for texturing handles and doing some basic filework.
Bandsaw--love it, especially for leather. It's not good enough for metal though.
buffer--a very useful tool for polishing, and sharpening with paper wheels. ALMOST makes the list for tools I couldn't do without. I'm kinda on the fence about it.
digital calipers for measuring stuff.
I do use my bench grinder, but, along with my 1x30's, it rarely gets used. I use it sometimes for cleaning things up after I've cut stuff out with my angle grinder, or to help hog material when I get tired of using the belt grinder, even though it's slower. Oh well.
What do you consider essential? What do you own that you use, but could do without?
all my stuff would look like shivs if it weren't for the internet.
)... It would be one of my KMGs, all my files, the vise, and a drill press.
:grumpy:
